Thanks for the Delicious Food

Having just completed what would amount to a good half day's work for a real farmer, this wannabe farmer is beat.

It was a good day, working in the woods at the height of spring, spying the occasional wildflower and enjoying the mild temps. While spraying weeds on our hiking trails, I scared up a mama turkey sitting on her clutch of eggs. She circled me twice at about 100 feet, clucking and complaining, letting me know in no uncertain terms that I was too close to her developing family.

Later, moving a pile of firewood, I disturbed a lizard and a couple of toads who had taken up residence there. As I loaded it on the tractor
they eyed me, confused and suspicious, but also a bit curious.

Hauling the firewood back to the house, which, to be clear, provides us more with ambience than heat, I reflected on the hardworking farmer whose livelihood depends on a full day of physical labors. I remembered that, on average, she receives in income only about 18 cents for every dollar I spend on food.

I firmly believe we need to make big changes in our food system. We need to continue working on environmentally sound pest management methods. We need to do a better job on soil conservation and pollinator habitat. We need to continue efforts to protect water quality.

At the same time we have to figure out how to produce enough to feed 6 billion people. We need crops that are drought tolerant and pest resistant and high yielding. We need to eliminate waste and address inequities in the distribution system.

As tobacco usage continues to decline, we have to work on finding viable alternatives for our tobacco farmers. The alternative is to lose North Carolina's most productive farmland, and some of our most capable farmers.

We need to work on all those things and more.

But today, riding on the tractor with a load of firewood, I simply felt grateful for the hardworking farmers. Whether their crops are organic or conventional or genetically engineered or biodynamic, whether their livestock is raised in pens or fields or forests, I am deeply grateful for their hard work bringing food to my table. And the next time I see one, I plan to thank them for the delicious and nutritious food. I hope you will too.